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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: wake · mouse · mate · safe · bat · game · racket · kick

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — to breed
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. game — wild animals
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wake — a trail
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — a match
  22. kick — in football
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kick — a thrill

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