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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chip — to eat
  3. swing — music
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — to play on
  7. can — a tin
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. firm — steady
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — the animal
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chest — a box
  21. firm — decided
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. firm — a company
  24. can — a tin

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