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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a path
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kid — child
  8. court — of a king
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fall — to drop
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fall — the season
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. court — for sport
  19. track — a song
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. court — of law

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