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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tear — to rip
  3. swing — music
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spell — a short time
  15. capital — a city
  16. ground — a position
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spell — letters
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ground — crushed
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spell — magic
  24. capital — money

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