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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: march · mouse · fork · fan · cell · roll · racket · present

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. present — a gift
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — there
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. roll — a list
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — the time now
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fork — in a road
  24. march — the month

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