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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hand — help
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cap — a lid
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. tube — a container
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kick — in football
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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