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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: rest · face · racket · suit · tear · clip

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. clip — to cut
  13. suit — clothes
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. suit — to fit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rest — a break
  18. suit — in cards

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