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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. hand — in cards
  6. swing — to play on
  7. firm — a company
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. scale — in music
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — for digging
  14. swing — music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. firm — steady
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hand — help
  23. firm — decided
  24. tear — from crying

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