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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — a country
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. club — a group
  7. deal — to handle
  8. land — ground
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — to come down
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — for golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. fall — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — for dancing
  24. track — a path

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