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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. club — a group
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — to sink
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. swing — to play on
  7. file — a document
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. club — for dancing
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. club — for golf
  19. tear — to rip
  20. file — a tool
  21. swing — in golf
  22. file — a line of people
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. swing — music

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