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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. rest — what's left
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — a committee
  14. face — to confront
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — completely
  17. object — to protest
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rest — a break
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. face — to point toward

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