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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — army training
  8. mate — to breed
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mug — a face
  13. root — the cause
  14. charge — a price
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. drill — the tool

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