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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spell — magic
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. kid — to tease
  10. spell — letters
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kid — child
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kick — in football
  20. spell — a short time
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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