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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. pit — in a race
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — a trail
  20. race — humankind
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — a trace

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