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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. snap — to click
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. vault — a safe
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — for sport
  24. net — for catching

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