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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pop — music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kid — child
  7. file — a document
  8. spring — of water
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mug — a face
  12. pop — soda
  13. file — a tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spring — a coil
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — of law
  21. file — a line of people
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. spring — the season

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