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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: racket · bass · tear · lie · cap · ruler

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a hat
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — low music
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring

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