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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: tear · rule · kid · racket · club · firm

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. firm — steady
  3. rule — government
  4. firm — a company
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kid — to tease
  7. firm — decided
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kid — child
  12. club — for golf
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. club — a group
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis

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