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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. race — a contest
  13. swing — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. hand — help
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bulb — for light
  24. swing — to play on

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