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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. staff — a stick
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. plane — a tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  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