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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. craft — a skill
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — the amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chest — a box
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — boats
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kick — in football
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chest — of your body
  24. content — happy

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