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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. squash — the sport
  4. track — a path
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a song
  9. tear — to rip
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ground — the earth
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — a match
  17. stand — to bear
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — crushed
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — the vegetable

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