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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: race · tear · leaves · hide · track · lash · fall · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — to keep track
  8. race — a contest
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — the season
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. track — a song
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. race — the arms race
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. race — humankind
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — a path

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