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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: tear · row · rest · bat · kick · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. row — a line
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — a break
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kick — a thrill

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