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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fork — in a road
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. race — a contest
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fall — to drop
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rest — a break
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. fork — to eat with

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