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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tube — a container
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — a video
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. snap — to click
  10. fall — the season
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — with your hand

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