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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. court — for sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — help
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — in cards
  17. court — of law
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — of a king
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rash — a series
  23. snap — to click
  24. trunk — of a car

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