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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bore — to tire
  17. file — a line of people
  18. drill — a practice
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — in cards
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fine — all right
  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