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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — in sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. drill — the tool
  6. track — a path
  7. drill — army training
  8. fine — all right
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. staff — a stick
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — to keep track
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — a coil
  24. track — a song

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