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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. club — for dancing
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — in sport
  17. drill — army training
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fork — in a road
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — music
  24. club — for golf

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