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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. march — the month
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. march — music
  7. snap — to click
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. march — the month
  11. cue — a signal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cue — for pool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cue — a hint
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. racket — a loud noise

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