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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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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: tube · rest · racket · kid · bowl · mark · club · hand

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hand — help
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rest — a break
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. club — for golf
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — a group
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — child
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. kid — to tease
  20. hand — in cards
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mark — to pay attention

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