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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. kid — child
  6. mug — a face
  7. bass — low music
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mug — a cup
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cue — for pool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  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