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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. board — a committee
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — to rip
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bear — the animal

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