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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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Word bank
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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ball — a dance
  5. shower — rain
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spell — magic
  9. game — a match
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — a trace
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spell — letters
  24. arm — part of the body

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