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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: fine · tear · date · racket · last · content · wake · perch

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. content — the amount
  5. last — final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wake — a trail
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — finally
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fine — high quality
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — happy
  20. date — the fruit
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. last — to go on
  23. tear — from crying
  24. content — videos and posts

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