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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. present — there
  3. kid — child
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ball — a dance
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — for digging
  14. present — a gift
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. spell — magic
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. present — the time now
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com