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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ball — a great time
  4. row — to paddle
  5. court — for sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — a line
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — army training
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. court — of a king
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. drill — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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