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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. current — happening now
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. current — electric
  12. club — for dancing
  13. content — happy
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — farmland
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — of water
  24. content — the amount

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