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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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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: tube · mark · hand · racket · pop · field · game · jam

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mark — a grade
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pop — soda
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pop — to visit
  8. field — for sport
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hand — in cards
  11. game — a match
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. hand — help
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. field — a subject
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. racket — for tennis

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