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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. field — for sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. can — to be able to
  8. object — to protest
  9. mark — a trace
  10. land — a country
  11. mark — a grade
  12. object — a thing
  13. land — to come down
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. land — ground
  16. field — a subject
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. can — a tin
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. object — an aim
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — farmland
  24. can — a tin

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