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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. land — a country
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mug — a face
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mug — a cup
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. land — ground
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. land — to come down
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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