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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. track — a path
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lean — thin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. track — a song
  11. chip — to eat
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. chip — for betting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cap — of ice

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