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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 124 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. foot — a measure
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pass — a permit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fine — high quality

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