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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: season · wind · racket · cap · tear · safe · net · lie

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — for catching
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cap — a hat
  12. net — after costs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wind — moving air
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. season — of the year
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. season — in sport

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