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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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. last — final
  4. object — to protest
  5. fall — to drop
  6. object — an aim
  7. last — finally
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. drill — army training
  10. rest — a break
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. fall — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. object — a thing

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