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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: mouse · chest · sharp · rush · racket · ground · suit · spell

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — hurry
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spell — letters
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spell — magic
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spell — a short time
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chest — a box
  21. suit — in cards
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. sharp — clever

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