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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. firm — decided
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. firm — a company
  8. kid — to tease
  9. firm — steady
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. kid — child
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. racket — for tennis

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