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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rash — a series
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — in biology
  12. march — music
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rush — hurry
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — a phone
  24. coach — a trainer

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