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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — a box
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — help
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — a committee
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — to get on
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mark — a grade

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