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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — a friend
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tear — to rip
  11. march — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  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