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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. march — the month
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — for catching
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. court — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. net — after costs
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. court — of law
  17. march — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — in sport
  24. court — of a king

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