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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ground — a position
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bat — the animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — crushed
  17. net — in sport
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. shower — to wash
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of a car

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