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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: track · game · hide · squash · racket · scale · sharp · bat

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. track — to keep track
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. squash — to crush
  7. scale — size or range
  8. track — a song
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. game — wild animals
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. scale — in music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. sharp — clever
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bat — the animal
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bat — for baseball

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