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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chest — of your body
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — a box
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. court — of a king
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pop — soda
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. court — for sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pop — music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. march — music

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