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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — soda
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — of water
  8. pop — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. spring — a coil
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — letters
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spring — the season
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bore — to tire
  24. squash — to crush

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