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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — letters
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rest — a break
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. track — a path
  7. stock — goods
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. track — a song
  12. spell — a short time
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stock — shares
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spell — magic

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