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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. ball — a dance
  2. spring — a coil
  3. can — a tin
  4. pit — in a race
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a great time
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. row — a line
  14. last — finally
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pit — a hole
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. can — a tin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. row — to paddle
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  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