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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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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mark — a trace
  3. ball — a dance
  4. spell — magic
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — a container
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. spell — letters
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rash — a series
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. spell — a short time
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — a kind of play

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