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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pit — in a race
  3. tear — to rip
  4. root — the cause
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. game — a match
  8. season — in sport
  9. club — a group
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — of a word
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. root — of a plant
  18. season — of the year
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a hole

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