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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hand — in cards
  9. key — in music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. net — for catching
  23. racket — for tennis
  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