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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: racket · cap · date · fork · clip · rock · stand · straw

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. clip — for paper
  5. date — the fruit
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cap — of ice
  9. clip — to cut
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rock — a stone
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rock — music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. clip — a video

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