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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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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: bat · saw · wind · straw · racket · current · pitcher · lean

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lean — thin
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lean — to bend
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wind — moving air
  13. current — happening now
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — a jug

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