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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: pop · game · racket · present · arm · season · rush · hand

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pop — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hand — help
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — in sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. present — there
  17. season — of the year
  18. rush — hurry
  19. present — a gift
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. present — the time now
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — a match
  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