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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. object — a thing
  6. row — a line
  7. object — to protest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tear — to rip
  11. suit — in cards
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kid — child
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. kid — to tease
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. suit — to fit
  23. object — an aim
  24. racket — a loud noise

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