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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — to breed
  3. game — a match
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kick — in football
  16. pit — a hole
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mate — a partner
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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