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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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468
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: tear · racket · net · court · date · suit · band · face

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to point toward
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — to rip
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. net — in sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. court — of a king
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. suit — clothes
  15. face — to confront
  16. court — of law
  17. suit — to fit
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — part of the head
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. suit — in cards
  23. court — for sport
  24. date — the fruit

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