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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. chest — a box
  4. season — of the year
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mug — a cup
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mug — a face
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — to rob
  16. track — to keep track
  17. season — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. track — a song
  21. net — after costs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. present — a gift
  24. bat — for baseball

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