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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. object — to protest
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. object — a thing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. object — an aim
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rush — hurry

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