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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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: game · racket · tear · net · straw · leaves · pitcher · fine

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — all right
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. net — for catching
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tear — from crying
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. game — a match
  17. tear — to rip
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitcher — a jug

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