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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — for sport
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. field — a subject
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — in a race
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. swing — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. field — farmland
  22. net — for catching
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pit — a hole

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