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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spell — letters
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — a short time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — farmland
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spell — magic

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