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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stand — to bear
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — in music
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — for catching

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