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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mark — a grade
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — final
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. last — finally
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fine — all right
  24. rock — a stone

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