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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: trunk · jam · mouse · scale · last · racket · object · cap

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cap — of ice
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — final
  11. cap — a lid
  12. object — an aim
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. scale — in music
  17. object — to protest
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. object — a thing
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. last — finally
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — 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