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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pop — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — clever
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. staff — employees
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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