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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — a grade
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a dance
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. racket — for tennis

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