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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mug — to rob
  4. club — for golf
  5. mug — a face
  6. object — an aim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — certain
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bound — obliged
  14. club — a group
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rash — a series
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — hasty
  23. object — to protest
  24. rash — on the skin

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