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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. swing — in golf
  3. last — to go on
  4. swing — music
  5. last — final
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tear — to rip
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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