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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: wave · mate · bowl · scale · racket · bat · dip · spring

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — in music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mate — to breed
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spring — of water
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spring — a coil
  14. scale — size or range
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wave — with your hand

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