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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tear — from crying
  4. land — a country
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — to rip
  8. swing — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. land — ground
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. land — to come down
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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