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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 124 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fall — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — of law
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — for sport
  15. date — the fruit
  16. court — of a king
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. root — of a word
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fall — to drop

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