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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. object — to protest
  4. last — final
  5. rash — a series
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. band — a music group
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rash — hasty
  11. object — an aim
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. object — a thing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — to crush
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. squash — the sport

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