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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ground — a position
  4. swing — music
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. court — for sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of law
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — in golf
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mine — belonging to me

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