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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. tube — a container
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to click
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kick — in football
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tube — the underground
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — in a tire

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