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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. row — a line
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. staff — employees
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ball — a dance
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. row — to paddle
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — clever
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chest — a box
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. staff — employees
  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