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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. march — music
  8. staff — employees
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — for paper
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bat — the animal
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — a video
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — for baseball

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