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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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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: pop · hide · craft · racket · wind · cabinet · bat · ball

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pop — soda
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pop — music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pop — to visit
  22. craft — a skill
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bat — the animal

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