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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. game — wild animals
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. pop — soda
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. last — finally
  14. scale — in music
  15. pop — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a match
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — to visit

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