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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — after costs
  4. fall — the season
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. band — a music group
  9. squash — the sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. fall — to drop
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — in sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chest — of your body

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