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

Word bank: fork · cap · cabinet · racket · tear · last

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cap — of ice
  3. last — to go on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cap — a lid
  6. last — finally
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — in a road
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. last — final
  17. cap — a hat
  18. tear — to rip

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