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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. swing — in golf
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. swing — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — for catching
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — a trail
  17. file — a document
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — to play on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a tool
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wound — an injury

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