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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — in sport
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. net — after costs
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — for catching
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a match
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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