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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fine — all right
  3. row — a line
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — in music
  7. charge — a price
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. scale — size or range
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. ground — a position
  16. charge — in control
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — music
  20. tear — to rip
  21. charge — electricity
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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