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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — letters
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. press — a publisher
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. face — part of the head
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — magic
  15. press — to push
  16. hand — help
  17. spell — a short time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to confront
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a music group
  24. wake — a trail

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