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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lean — thin
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rock — a stone
  8. net — after costs
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — for catching
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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