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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pop — to visit
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. club — a group
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pop — soda
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kick — with a leg

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