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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 116 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: racket · pit · race · mine · tear · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. race — a contest
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pit — a hole
  7. race — humankind
  8. swing — in golf
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — for digging
  16. race — the arms race
  17. tear — to rip
  18. swing — to play on

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