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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. swing — music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pitcher — a jug

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