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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — for catching
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. charge — in control
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — in sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. charge — a price
  18. can — a tin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. net — after costs

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