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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. scale — size or range
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — for golf
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — not warm
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — to drop
  11. scale — in music
  12. rule — government
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fall — to drop
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — a group
  21. fall — the season
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. scale — for weighing

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