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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: mine · racket · kick · shower · perch · stick · chest · roll

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. shower — rain
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. roll — a list
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. roll — a cake
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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