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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — help
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stand — to bear
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — to drill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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