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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — to play on
  7. shower — rain
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — for catching
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bank — of a river
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bank — for money
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bank — for money
  19. swing — music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. net — after costs
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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