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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: racket · sharp · game · track · spring · pitcher · deal · row

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. row — a line
  5. spring — the season
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — a coil
  8. row — to paddle
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — clever
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — a path
  18. game — a match
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. spring — of water
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. racket — a loud noise

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