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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — wild animals
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. court — of law
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. court — for sport
  23. ball — a dance
  24. court — of a king

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