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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: field · racket · pop · wave · dip · clip · key · ball

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. clip — a video
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. field — for sport
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. key — in music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ball — a great time
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. clip — to cut
  20. key — the most important part
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ball — a dance
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pop — to visit

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