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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — to come down
  6. march — music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rock — music
  9. ball — a dance
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — a country
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — ground
  24. rock — to move gently

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