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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — of law
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cue — for pool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. court — for sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — of a king
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a document
  20. cell — a phone
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cue — a signal
  23. staff — employees
  24. ruler — for measuring

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