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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a ring
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cell — a phone
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. object — to protest
  7. cell — in biology
  8. object — an aim
  9. rock — music
  10. band — a music group
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mate — to breed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mate — a friend
  19. object — a thing
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bat — for baseball

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