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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wind — moving air
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cue — a signal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wind — moving air
  10. date — the fruit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cue — for pool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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