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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. current — of water
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. tear — to rip
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. shower — rain
  12. march — the month
  13. current — happening now
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. current — electric
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — help

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