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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · kid · lean · present · fall · swing

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. swing — in golf
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lean — to bend
  8. present — a gift
  9. lean — thin
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. fall — to drop
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fall — the season
  16. kid — child
  17. swing — music
  18. kid — to tease

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