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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.

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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: club · tube · racket · bay · spell · bowl · stick · hand

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — letters
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. club — a group
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. club — for dancing
  19. spell — magic
  20. club — for golf
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bowl — to roll
  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