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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. snap — to click
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. drill — a practice
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitch — completely
  10. drill — army training
  11. spell — letters
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bore — to tire
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bore — to drill
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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