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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — for golf
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hand — help
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — a group

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