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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. swing — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — a match
  7. tear — from crying
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. can — a tin
  11. tube — a container
  12. root — the cause
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. root — of a word
  15. tear — to rip
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitch — completely
  20. can — to be able to
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hand — in cards
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hand — help

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