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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · racket · craft · plane · mark · chest · pop · bat

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rock — music
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. craft — boats
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pop — soda
  22. chest — of your body
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bat — for baseball

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