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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — tied together
  4. sharp — clever
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — of a king
  9. season — of the year
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bound — certain
  14. court — for sport
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stem — to come from
  19. court — of law
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. racket — a loud noise

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