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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. clip — a video
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — a path
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mate — to breed
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wave — with your hand

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