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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. board — a committee
  7. wind — moving air
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. squash — the sport
  13. game — a match
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. board — to get on
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. racket — a loud noise

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