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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — for golf
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. club — for dancing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. game — a match
  13. root — of a word
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. root — the cause
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. track — to keep track
  23. game — wild animals
  24. club — a group

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