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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. root — of a plant
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. root — of a word
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. swing — to play on
  15. net — in sport
  16. swing — music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. chair — a leader
  19. root — the cause
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stand — to bear

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