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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ground — a position
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. race — the arms race
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. race — humankind
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. race — a contest
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — after costs
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bat — the animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. ground — the earth
  24. nail — for a hammer

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