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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 116 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. net — in sport
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — in football
  9. root — the cause
  10. net — after costs
  11. root — of a plant
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. net — for catching
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chair — a leader
  23. root — of a word
  24. stem — a stem cell

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