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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — to rip
  3. face — to point toward
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ball — a great time
  7. march — the month
  8. court — for sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — of a king
  13. march — music
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. face — to confront
  18. march — the month
  19. court — of law
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chip — for betting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ball — a round shape

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