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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. tear — to rip
  3. swing — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stand — to bear
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bound — certain
  17. bass — low music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mug — a cup
  24. perch — the fish

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