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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: chest · straw · perch · racket · bore · pitcher · firm · foot

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chest — a box
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — steady
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. firm — decided
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — a company
  22. bore — to drill
  23. perch — the fish
  24. foot — the bottom

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