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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · date · fine · bay · foot · hand · game · racket

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. game — a match
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — an injury
  8. date — the fruit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hand — help
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. racket — a loud noise

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