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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 120 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: clip · last · net · tear · object · temple · racket · perch

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. clip — a video
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — finally
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. object — a thing
  13. clip — to cut
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. net — in sport
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — for paper
  20. object — to protest
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. perch — the fish
  24. net — for catching

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