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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. track — a path
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — to protest
  7. track — to keep track
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — a signal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. object — a thing
  13. cue — for pool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. scale — size or range
  16. object — an aim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cue — a hint
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. track — a song
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — money
  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