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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pound — a weight
  5. dip — to sink
  6. game — a match
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. last — final
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. charge — a price
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. charge — in control
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. game — wild animals
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mine — for digging

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