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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ground — crushed
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — the amount
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — to confront
  11. club — a group
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bound — certain
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bank — for money
  23. ground — a position
  24. bound — tied together

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