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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tube — a container
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spell — magic
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. march — music
  21. spell — letters
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bark — to shout
  24. racket — for tennis

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