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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pop — to visit
  4. scale — in music
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. spring — the season
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. band — a music group
  13. game — a match
  14. pop — soda
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pop — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — of water
  20. scale — size or range
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. band — a ring
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. spring — a coil

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