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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — to come down
  3. track — a path
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spell — letters
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. shower — rain
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. land — ground
  16. track — to keep track
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a song
  21. spell — magic
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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