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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bore — to drill
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wake — a trail
  18. date — the fruit
  19. deal — to handle
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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