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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.

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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: foot · straw · cell · racket · capital · tear · ground · rash

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — a position
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rash — a series
  11. foot — a measure
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tear — from crying
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. capital — money

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