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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — music
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. march — music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. season — of the year
  11. march — the month
  12. hand — in cards
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — a break

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