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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · dip · field · pop · racket · land · bat · key

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — soda
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. key — in music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. pop — music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bat — the animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. key — for a lock

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