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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hand — help
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rock — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mark — a trace
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — the season
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mark — a grade
  19. tube — a container
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. tube — in a tire

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