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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — the month
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. march — music
  11. kick — in football
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. march — the month
  14. capital — a city
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — to bear
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. capital — money

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