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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: mug · stick · roll · kid · bowl · branch · racket · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mug — a face
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a list
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mug — a cup
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kid — child
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. roll — a cake
  18. game — wild animals
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kid — to tease

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