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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. key — the most important part
  5. last — to go on
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. key — in music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. board — a committee
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — the animal
  19. key — for a lock
  20. drill — army training
  21. wake — a trail
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. last — finally
  24. bat — in an idiom

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