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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. scale — size or range
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rule — a law
  18. wake — a trail
  19. scale — in music
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. season — of the year
  22. rule — government
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fan — a supporter

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