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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. row — a line
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — a song
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. court — of a king
  11. row — to paddle
  12. court — of law
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. court — for sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. foot — a measure
  18. racket — for tennis

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