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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. track — a song
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitch — completely
  9. track — to keep track
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. court — of a king
  12. net — in sport
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bound — certain
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bound — obliged
  24. track — a path

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