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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — to bear
  5. swing — music
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kid — child
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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