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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: toast · pass · tear · chip · wound · date · court · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — of law
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. date — the fruit
  15. chip — for betting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pass — a permit
  18. court — for sport
  19. toast — bread
  20. court — of a king
  21. chip — to eat
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. racket — for tennis

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