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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — of law
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rock — music
  10. court — of a king
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — for sport
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spring — the season
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rock — a stone
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — of water
  24. drill — army training

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