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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: tear · perch · game · firm · hand · racket · current · fine

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fine — all right
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — high quality
  6. game — wild animals
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. current — happening now
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — of water
  11. game — a match
  12. tear — to rip
  13. firm — decided
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. current — electric
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. hand — in cards
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — a kind of play

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