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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. court — of law
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a document
  7. court — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. court — of a king
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. file — a line of people
  19. march — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fan — a supporter

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