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

Word bank: court · stick · lash · racket · pass · wax · game · rest

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — for sport
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of law
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rest — what's left
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — of a king
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lash — to lash out

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