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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. object — an aim
  2. tear — to rip
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. club — a group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — hasty
  8. club — for dancing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. object — a thing
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. drill — a practice
  18. club — for golf
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. drill — army training
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rash — a series
  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