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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — child
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. club — a group
  11. wind — moving air
  12. suit — to fit
  13. hand — in cards
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. club — for golf
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hand — help
  21. club — for dancing
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — the season

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