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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. season — of the year
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. season — in sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pop — soda
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pop — music
  24. racket — a loud noise

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