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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: fall · tear · march · firm · racket · row · mug · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. march — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. row — a line
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — to tease
  9. firm — decided
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fall — to drop
  19. firm — a company
  20. row — to paddle
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — to rip
  23. firm — steady
  24. row — a quarrel

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