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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rock — music
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a ring
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — a stone
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ground — a position
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — to move gently

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