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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. game — wild animals
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bound — obliged
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bound — certain
  15. court — of a king
  16. game — a match
  17. dip — to sink
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bound — tied together
  20. court — of law
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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