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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · hide · arm · racket · court · straw · shower · face

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — of a king
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. face — part of the head
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. court — of law
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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