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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
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: spring · bowl · fine · club · date · cell · game · racket

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — a coil
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spring — of water
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for golf
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. cell — a phone

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