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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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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: racket · bound · mouse · hand · last · cabinet · tear · fine

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. last — final
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — tied together
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bound — certain
  12. fine — high quality
  13. hand — help
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fine — all right
  17. last — to go on
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — in cards

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