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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fine — all right
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. track — a path
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. club — for golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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