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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. season — in sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — of the year
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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