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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bound — tied together
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. stand — to bear
  17. net — after costs
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. deal — to handle
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tear — from crying
  24. racket — a loud noise

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