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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · leaves · last · ground · racket · tear · safe · ball

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. press — a publisher
  9. ball — a great time
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. last — finally
  12. press — newspapers
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ball — a dance
  16. last — final
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — crushed
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. press — to push
  21. ground — a position
  22. last — to go on
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. tear — to rip

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