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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — government
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pop — soda
  7. squash — the sport
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. band — a ring
  13. pop — music
  14. face — to confront
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. face — to point toward
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pop — to visit
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. band — a music group

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