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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. cell — in biology
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. sharp — clever
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mug — to rob
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stand — to bear
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. cell — in a prison

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