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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. 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 — for tennis
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cell — a phone
  9. march — the month
  10. cell — in biology
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. march — music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. drill — army training
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. drill — a practice
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. 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