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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. present — there
  5. tear — from crying
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. present — a gift
  9. swing — in golf
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tear — from crying
  13. present — the time now
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. scale — in music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. scale — size or range

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