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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. drill — a practice
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. race — a contest
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. drill — army training
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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