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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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. wound — an injury
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. charge — in control
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — a break
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — size or range

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