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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. scale — in music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. track — a path
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bat — the animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — a song

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