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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — for paper
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. root — of a word
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. row — a line
  19. clip — to cut
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. clip — a video

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