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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rest — a break
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — after costs
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. swing — music
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fan — to cool the air

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