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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. track — a path
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a song
  16. press — a publisher
  17. track — to keep track
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. spell — magic
  23. shower — rain
  24. press — to push

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