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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bound — obliged
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bound — tied together
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — certain
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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