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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. suit — clothes
  11. game — a match
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cap — a hat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — a lid
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — wild animals
  21. suit — to fit
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. racket — a loud noise

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