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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — of water
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. track — a path
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. track — to keep track
  11. content — happy
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — the amount
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. track — a song
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lash — a whip stroke

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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