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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wound — an injury
  5. row — a line
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. suit — clothes
  8. kid — to tease
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. suit — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. suit — to fit
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — child
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wound — an injury
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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