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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. drill — army training
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. band — a music group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — for sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — magic
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — of a king
  22. drill — the tool
  23. court — of law
  24. spell — letters

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