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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stand — to bear
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. shower — to wash
  7. swing — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tear — to rip
  16. club — for golf
  17. degree — from a university
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. degree — temperature

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