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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. race — the arms race
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. race — a contest
  8. swing — music
  9. kid — child
  10. race — humankind
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — hurry
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. branch — of a bank

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