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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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Word bank
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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: cold · racket · coach · tear · kick · rule

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cold — an illness
  3. kick — in football
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. tear — to rip
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tear — from crying

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