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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — to play on
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pitch — completely
  5. club — a group
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. swing — music
  11. track — a path
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. swing — in golf
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — for dancing
  21. branch — a division
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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