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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — to tease
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. current — of water
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — child
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. current — electric

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