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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ball — a dance
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — help
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fine — high quality
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fine — all right
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. march — the month

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