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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. row — a line
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wake — a trail
  7. row — to paddle
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. court — of law
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — of a king
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. tube — a container
  24. march — the month

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