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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. squash — the sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spell — letters
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wound — an injury

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