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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · leaves · hand · chair · racket · trunk · drill · swing

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — help
  4. swing — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mate — to breed
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. swing — in golf
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. hand — in cards
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. swing — to play on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chair — to sit on

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