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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bat — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. track — a path
  5. spell — magic
  6. track — a song
  7. club — a group
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — to keep track
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. club — for golf
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spell — letters

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