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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stem — to come from
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tear — from crying
  7. season — in sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rash — hasty
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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