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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · scale · court · foot · season · hand · cue · trunk

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — in cards
  4. season — of the year
  5. scale — size or range
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. foot — a measure
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cue — for pool
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. court — for sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. scale — in music
  24. foot — part of the body

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