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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — shares
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wound — an injury
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wound — an injury
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — goods
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — a break
  24. racket — for tennis

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