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

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. foot — a measure
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. net — after costs
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — to play on
  12. file — a document
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. swing — music
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lie — to recline
  18. net — in sport
  19. file — a line of people
  20. club — for golf
  21. swing — in golf
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chip — to eat

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