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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 116 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: swing · tear · straw · bay · net · pit · object · kid

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. swing — in golf
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tear — from crying
  13. object — an aim
  14. tear — to rip
  15. net — for catching
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. net — after costs
  19. kid — child
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. pit — a hole

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