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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. saw — the tool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cap — a hat
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — magic
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — for digging

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