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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. net — after costs
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — of the year
  8. tube — the underground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. season — in sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. net — for catching
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — finally
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chip — for betting
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chip — to eat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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