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

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hand — in cards
  11. current — happening now
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — electric
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hand — help
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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