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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tear — to rip
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. swing — in golf
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. net — in sport
  9. swing — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tear — from crying
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. ground — crushed
  18. shower — rain
  19. net — after costs
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ground — a position

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