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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — help
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. toast — bread
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. snap — to click
  24. prune — the fruit

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