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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitch — completely
  10. can — a tin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rest — a break
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitcher — a jug

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