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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. swing — in golf
  4. scale — in music
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mug — a face
  12. bound — certain
  13. mug — a cup
  14. object — an aim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — music
  23. bound — tied together
  24. scale — size or range

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