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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — a tin
  7. rush — hurry
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a committee
  11. can — a tin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cue — a signal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. can — to be able to
  18. board — to get on
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cue — a hint

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