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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. kid — child
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bore — to drill
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — high quality
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rash — a series
  24. racket — a loud noise

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