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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ground — a position
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ground — crushed
  11. march — the month
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. kick — in football
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — hurry
  23. march — music
  24. kick — a thrill

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