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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bass — low music
  4. roll — a list
  5. suit — to fit
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. roll — a cake
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. net — in sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. suit — in cards

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