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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ball — a dance
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — of the year
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. chair — a leader
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bat — the animal

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