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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. tear — from crying
  3. club — for dancing
  4. present — a gift
  5. net — for catching
  6. bass — the fish
  7. present — the time now
  8. drill — army training
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bass — low music
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. capital — money
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. present — there
  21. capital — a city
  22. drill — the tool
  23. tear — to rip
  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