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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. ball — a dance
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. ground — a position
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. ball — a great time
  22. swing — music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. racket — for tennis

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