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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. land — to come down
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. land — ground
  5. key — in music
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — for a lock
  9. club — for dancing
  10. suit — to fit
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. club — a group
  14. squash — the sport
  15. suit — clothes
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — for golf
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. land — a country
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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