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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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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: squash · last · tear · ball · march · root · safe · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — of a plant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — final
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — to crush
  16. march — the month
  17. last — finally
  18. squash — the sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. root — the cause
  21. ball — a great time
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a dance

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