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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. kick — in football
  6. staff — employees
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chair — a leader
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kid — child
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — a stick
  22. branch — a division
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kid — to tease

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