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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 124 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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — for golf
  3. drill — army training
  4. cue — a hint
  5. track — a song
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — to rip
  8. track — to keep track
  9. spell — letters
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — a group
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cue — for pool
  14. track — a path
  15. cue — a signal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spell — magic
  23. club — for dancing
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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