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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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Word bank
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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: bank · lash · racket · saw · game · track · wind · bat

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. game — a match
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bank — for money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. bank — for money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bat — for baseball

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