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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stand — to bear
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. key — in music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — a song
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. swing — music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — in music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. key — for a lock

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