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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — the fish
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chest — a box
  7. fork — in a road
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spell — letters
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bass — low music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. spell — magic
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kick — in football
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chest — of your body

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