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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pop — music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ball — a dance
  10. swing — to play on
  11. snap — to click
  12. current — of water
  13. pop — soda
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tear — to rip
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pitch — completely
  24. current — electric

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