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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. snap — to click
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a match
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. present — there
  16. game — wild animals
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pound — a weight
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. racket — a loud noise

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