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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fork — in a road
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. content — the amount
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — happy
  18. root — of a word
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. root — of a plant
  23. racket — for tennis
  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