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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. charge — a price
  13. kid — child
  14. court — for sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. charge — in control
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bowl — a dish

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