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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. face — to confront
  3. spell — letters
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a ring
  7. spell — a short time
  8. track — a song
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a music group
  15. face — to point toward
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. track — a path

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