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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pit — a hole
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. saw — the tool
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pit — in a race
  24. drill — a practice

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