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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mug — a face
  4. field — farmland
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cell — a phone
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to click
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mug — to rob
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. field — for sport
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mug — a cup

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