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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mug — to rob
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bound — certain
  11. game — a match
  12. net — for catching
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mug — a face
  16. track — a path
  17. game — wild animals
  18. net — after costs
  19. track — to keep track
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a great time
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. track — a song

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