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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — in sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. charge — in control
  10. court — of a king
  11. chest — of your body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chest — a box
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a dance
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to click
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. charge — a price
  24. ball — a great time

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