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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. squash — to crush
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — music
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. squash — the sport
  24. march — the month

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