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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. object — a thing
  3. ball — a great time
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. field — farmland
  18. ball — a dance
  19. press — newspapers
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. press — to push
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. coach — a trainer

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