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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — to push
  7. row — a line
  8. press — newspapers
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. club — for golf
  13. craft — a skill
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tear — from crying
  17. press — a publisher
  18. club — a group

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