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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — help
  5. march — music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — in cards

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