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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. club — for golf
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. club — for dancing
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tear — from crying
  15. track — a song
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. club — a group

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