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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 124 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bass — low music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — of law
  10. rest — a break
  11. net — in sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rest — what's left
  16. net — after costs
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — for catching
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wake — a trail
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bat — the animal

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