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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. march — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — a short time
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — letters
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ball — a dance

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