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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. current — happening now
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. snap — to click
  12. current — of water
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bark — to shout
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. current — electric
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bat — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. kick — in football
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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