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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. track — a song
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. drill — army training
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. drill — a practice
  13. field — a subject
  14. snap — to click
  15. field — for sport
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. field — farmland
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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