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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — ground
  3. suit — clothes
  4. fall — to drop
  5. suit — in cards
  6. land — to come down
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. suit — to fit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fall — the season
  15. kid — child
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. shower — rain
  24. fall — to drop

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