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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — to push
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. land — ground
  12. chest — a box
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — a country
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. land — to come down
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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