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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. game — wild animals
  24. sharp — with an edge

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