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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — the sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — to rob
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lie — to recline
  10. branch — a division
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. land — ground
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stock — goods
  20. track — a song
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. land — to come down
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. track — a path

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