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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. hand — in cards
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. hand — help
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. racket — for tennis

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