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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — final
  4. pop — to visit
  5. suit — in cards
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spell — letters
  9. pop — soda
  10. branch — a division
  11. pop — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. suit — to fit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. suit — clothes
  17. plane — a tool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. arm — a part of something

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