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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — a series
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. game — a match
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pound — a weight

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