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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — letters
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chest — of your body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. suit — clothes
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spell — magic
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — a box
  24. spell — a short time

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