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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. track — to keep track
  4. kick — in football
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chest — a box
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. track — a path
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. track — a song
  16. wax — to grow
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — with a leg

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