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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 · bat · toast · cell · court · fall · dip · leaves

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fall — the season
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fall — to drop
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. court — for sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. toast — bread

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