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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bound — certain
  11. pound — a weight
  12. suit — clothes
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. suit — to fit
  16. spring — of water
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. suit — in cards

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