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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: stick · cue · cap · racket · tube · court · perch · land

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cap — a lid
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cue — a hint
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — for sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. perch — the fish
  20. tube — a container
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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