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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a dance
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a great time
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — to crush

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