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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. swing — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bark — to shout
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. toast — bread
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — to play on

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