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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. swing — music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — dry grass

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