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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. net — for catching
  3. ball — a great time
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. net — after costs
  11. rush — hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. race — a contest

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