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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mark — a trace
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a path
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. net — after costs
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. track — a song
  20. present — a gift
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mark — a grade

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