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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 120 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. suit — in cards
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. game — wild animals
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. game — a match
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. trunk — of a tree

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