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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rash — a series
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cue — for pool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spell — letters
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — for sport

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