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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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. pop — to visit
  4. season — in sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. current — electric
  9. season — of the year
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — help
  12. pop — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hand — in cards
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pop — soda
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bore — to tire
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. current — of water
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. current — happening now

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