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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spring — the season
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — the cause
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. root — of a word
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. spring — of water
  24. root — of a plant

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