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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — a coil
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — the season
  16. last — final
  17. spring — of water
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — to recline
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. hide — animal skin

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