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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. toast — bread
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cold — not warm
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — of law
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. court — of a king
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. court — for sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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