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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. race — a contest
  4. club — a group
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. swing — in golf
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. race — humankind
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. temple — a place of worship

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