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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 · cue · foot · wound · row · jam · court · dip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cue — a hint
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. row — a line
  12. court — of a king
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cue — a signal
  16. court — of law
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cue — for pool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. court — for sport
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. row — to paddle

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