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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: tear · rash · mine · racket · cap · fall · kid · pass

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — hasty
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pass — a permit
  10. fall — the season
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — a series
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cap — a hat
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kid — to tease
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — on the skin

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