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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — after costs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — for golf
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. club — a group
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. net — in sport
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — for catching
  24. club — for dancing

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