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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fine — all right
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chest — a box
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — high quality
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — of your body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rule — a law
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. staff — employees
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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