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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spell — magic
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hand — help
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rock — a stone
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. scale — in music
  18. rock — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spell — letters
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. can — a tin

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