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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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tear — to rip
  5. race — a contest
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lean — to bend
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. lean — thin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. race — humankind
  21. swing — in golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. race — the arms race
  24. tear — from crying

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