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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wind — moving air
  9. can — a tin
  10. fork — in a road
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. swing — music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. straw — dry grass

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