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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pit — a hole
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — rain
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — in a race
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — after costs
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wake — before a funeral

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