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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — obliged
  6. field — for sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — certain
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wax — to grow
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bound — tied together
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bowl — a football final

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