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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. drill — the tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a ring
  8. fine — high quality
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. band — a music group
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fine — all right
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. drill — army training
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — wild animals

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