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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cell — in biology
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. spring — a coil
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. spring — of water
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. snap — to click
  23. spring — the season
  24. cabinet — ministers

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