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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. band — a music group
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. band — a ring
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lie — to recline
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — a position
  19. net — after costs
  20. rest — a break
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ground — the earth
  24. temple — side of the head

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