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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. game — a match
  3. scale — in music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. scale — size or range
  6. net — for catching
  7. swing — in golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — to play on
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — to drop
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. swing — music
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fall — the season
  22. net — after costs
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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