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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.

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: mark · racket · bay · game · object · fork · hand · ground

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mark — a trace
  8. game — wild animals
  9. object — a thing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ground — a position
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — a match
  21. object — an aim
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. object — to protest

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