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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. object — a thing
  3. last — to go on
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. last — finally
  9. rock — a stone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. last — final
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cue — for pool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rock — music
  24. band — a music group

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