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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. shower — rain
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. court — of a king
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. snap — to click
  13. court — for sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. court — of law
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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