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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. tear — from crying
  5. club — for dancing
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. board — a committee
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — to rip
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. ground — the earth
  22. board — to get on
  23. ground — crushed
  24. lie — to recline

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