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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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. capital — money
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ball — a dance
  7. capital — a city
  8. rock — a stone
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spell — magic
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rock — music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. capital — a big letter

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