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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. row — a line
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — the amount
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. content — happy
  10. toast — bread
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. net — for catching
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — in sport
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. trunk — of a tree

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