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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tube — a container
  5. root — of a word
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tube — the underground
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tear — to rip
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. lean — thin
  20. squash — to crush
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. tear — from crying
  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