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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chest — a box
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hand — help
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rule — government
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rule — a law

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