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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 120 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 · racket · deal · stick · ground · bore · row · rash

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. swing — music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. row — a line
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — in golf
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bore — to tire
  14. ground — the earth
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. ground — a position
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. swing — to play on
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rash — a series
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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