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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.

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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — army training
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chest — a box
  9. staff — employees
  10. drill — a practice
  11. club — for golf
  12. kid — to tease
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — a group
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — child
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mark — a trace
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. club — for dancing

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