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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. game — a match
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. suit — to fit
  11. field — for sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. suit — clothes
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. craft — a skill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. suit — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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