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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bat — the animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tube — the underground

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