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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mark — a grade
  4. roll — a list
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lean — to bend
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a trace
  11. scale — in music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. scale — size or range

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