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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. field — a subject
  4. spell — magic
  5. mug — a cup
  6. field — farmland
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. field — for sport
  10. mug — to rob
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mug — a face
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. spring — the season
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — belonging to me

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