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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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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: stand · perch · hand · kid · ruler · pit · wake · racket

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kid — to tease
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stand — to bear
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kid — child
  12. hand — help
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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