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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rest — a break
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. club — for golf
  8. pop — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pop — soda
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — for dancing
  16. charge — in control
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. club — a group
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — a series
  24. perch — for a bird

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