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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. court — of law
  3. bore — to tire
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — help
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. court — of a king
  15. mug — a face
  16. hand — in cards
  17. court — for sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. swing — music
  24. bore — to drill

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