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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. face — to point toward
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. club — for dancing
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stand — to bear
  13. club — for golf
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tear — to rip
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — in music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fork — in a road
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. face — to confront
  24. dip — to dunk

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