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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. sharp — clever
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rest — what's left
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — final
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rest — a break
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. face — to confront
  17. band — a ring
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. face — to point toward
  22. season — in sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. racket — a loud noise

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