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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: bear · racket · kick · saw · pit · pop · chest · rash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. racket — for tennis

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