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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — a contest
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bank — for money
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pound — a weight
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. race — humankind
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. race — the arms race

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