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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. court — of a king
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — in cards
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — help
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — to come from
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. court — of law

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