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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: mouse · racket · stick · pass · rash · bear · bat · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. tear — from crying
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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