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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.

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 · mouse · mark · track · cell · hand · fine · rash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — help
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cell — a phone
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fine — all right
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a song
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mouse — the animal

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