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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: rock · tear · racket · bound · mine · stick · game · kid

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. kid — child
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rock — a stone
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bound — certain
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a match
  22. tear — to rip
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tear — from crying

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