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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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. cell — in biology
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bulb — for light
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tube — a container
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kick — in football
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tube — in a tire

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