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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — for sport
  3. cold — an illness
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — of law
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. court — of a king
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cold — not warm
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rush — hurry
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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