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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — in a road
  9. band — a music group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. band — a ring
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wake — before a funeral

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