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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. object — an aim
  7. rash — a series
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. object — to protest
  10. ground — crushed
  11. object — a thing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. can — a tin
  15. ground — a position
  16. club — for dancing
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — a line
  21. club — for golf
  22. can — to be able to
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — a group

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