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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 120 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: season · safe · mug · bat · racket · game · stand · wake

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bat — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mug — a face
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mug — to rob
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. mug — a cup
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stand — to bear
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wake — a trail

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