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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rest — a break
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. row — a line
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tube — a container
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rest — what's left

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