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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rash — a series
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cold — an illness
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitch — completely
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rash — hasty
  24. racket — for tennis

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