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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pit — a hole
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. court — for sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. court — of a king
  15. wake — a trail
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — of law
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — the season

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