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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 116 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: staff · track · pitcher · season · ground · firm · racket · tear

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — a path
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a song
  14. firm — steady
  15. staff — a stick
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ground — a position

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