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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ball — a great time
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chest — a box
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — a measure
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — a series
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. hand — help
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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