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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. field — for sport
  8. hand — help
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mate — to breed
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. file — a line of people
  14. foot — a measure
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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