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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — a path
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. track — a song
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — army training

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