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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — a match
  5. rash — a series
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — a path
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bound — obliged
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bound — certain
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bound — tied together
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — a song
  24. racket — for tennis

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