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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. last — final
  16. hand — help
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bowl — a dish

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