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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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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: lean · wound · racket · stick · present · sharp · pit · roll

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pit — a hole
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lean — to bend
  8. present — a gift
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. lean — thin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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