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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. present — there
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. present — the time now
  6. court — of law
  7. swing — to play on
  8. foot — a measure
  9. present — a gift
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tube — the underground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tube — a container
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. court — of a king
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. swing — in golf
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — for sport
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. swing — 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