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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — a series
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. club — a group
  10. present — a gift
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. present — the time now
  18. club — for golf
  19. charge — in control
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — for digging
  23. charge — a price
  24. mine — belonging to me

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