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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. club — for golf
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — government
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. club — a group
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. snap — to click
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. racket — a loud noise

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