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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 120 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mate — a partner
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. row — a quarrel

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