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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. object — to protest
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — an aim
  10. charge — in control
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — a break
  19. club — for dancing
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. object — a thing
  24. wound — an injury

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