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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — to crush
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — size or range
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. track — a song
  7. press — newspapers
  8. ground — a position
  9. spring — of water
  10. track — a path
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ground — crushed
  13. scale — in music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ground — the earth
  24. press — to push

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