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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: deal · tear · saw · racket · pound · current · chair · stand

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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. chair — a professorship
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. current — happening now
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. current — electric
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stand — to bear
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tear — to rip
  17. deal — to handle
  18. current — of water
  19. pound — a weight
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pound — for dogs

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