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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — after costs
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — music
  12. tear — to rip
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — for catching
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mug — a face
  21. bat — the animal
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. spring — the season
  24. bat — for baseball

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