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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kid — to tease
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. snap — to click
  8. hand — help
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rock — music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. file — a document
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kid — child

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