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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. present — the time now
  6. cell — a phone
  7. present — a gift
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. court — of law
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. swing — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. present — there
  19. swing — to play on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chair — a leader
  22. court — of a king
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. temple — a place of worship

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