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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fork — in a road
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. track — a path
  15. pop — soda
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. track — to keep track
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. track — a song
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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