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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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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: wound · present · cell · game · rule · arm · racket · fan

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. present — there
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rule — a law
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. present — a gift
  11. rule — government
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. game — a match
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. present — the time now
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in biology
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wound — an injury

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