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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — a partner
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mate — to breed
  21. drill — army training
  22. staff — a stick
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. trunk — of a tree

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