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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pit — a hole
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — in sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pit — in a race
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — a group
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cue — for pool
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. mine — belonging to me

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