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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. band — a ring
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. spell — letters
  12. lean — thin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — music
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. leaves — lets stay

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