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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bass — the fish
  3. land — ground
  4. club — a group
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cell — a phone
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. swing — to play on
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. land — a country
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — low music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — to come down
  24. cell — in a prison

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