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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. kid — child
  8. court — of law
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitch — completely
  11. branch — a division
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. court — of a king
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bore — to drill
  19. court — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — bread

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