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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — a trace
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. row — a line
  24. fork — to eat with

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