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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pop — music
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. net — after costs
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pop — soda
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — a match
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — to visit
  24. row — a quarrel

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