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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. game — a match
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in biology

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