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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. firm — decided
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. root — of a word
  7. clip — a video
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. clip — to cut
  10. firm — steady
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. court — of a king
  14. firm — a company
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. root — the cause
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. season — of the year
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — in sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. clip — for paper

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