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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. present — there
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. present — a gift
  10. drill — a practice
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. content — happy
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. drill — army training
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. content — the amount
  24. present — the time now

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