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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — wild animals
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. foot — a measure
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ball — a great time
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. capital — money
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kid — to tease
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. kid — child
  21. capital — a city
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — a match

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