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

Word bank: racket · court · cue · trunk · suit · bat · stem · bound

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — certain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cue — a signal
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. court — of a king
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. suit — to fit
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. bat — the animal
  22. suit — clothes
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bound — obliged

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