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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — a contest
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pop — to visit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pop — music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rock — a stone
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pop — soda

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