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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — letters
  4. suit — clothes
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. suit — in cards
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — magic
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. last — final
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. suit — to fit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. last — finally
  18. court — of a king
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — in football
  22. spell — a short time
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wave — with your hand

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