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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. ball — a dance
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. charge — electricity
  9. chest — a box
  10. charge — a price
  11. bass — low music
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cold — an illness
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — of your body
  16. charge — in control
  17. ball — a great time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ball — a round shape

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