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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a line
  4. track — a path
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. sharp — clever
  12. track — to keep track
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. track — a song
  15. field — farmland
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — army training
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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