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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: kick · spring · straw · racket · mouse · stand · bowl · race

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spring — of water
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — a contest
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kick — in football

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