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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 124 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mug — a face
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mug — to rob
  9. swing — music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — after costs
  14. mug — a cup
  15. net — for catching
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. toast — bread
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bear — the animal

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