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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: game · bark · face · fan · season · mouse · rush · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — wild animals
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a match
  6. season — of the year
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rush — hurry

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