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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. swing — to play on
  4. net — in sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. object — to protest
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. can — to be able to
  11. spring — of water
  12. tear — to rip
  13. swing — music
  14. net — after costs
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — for catching
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. object — an aim
  20. spring — the season
  21. can — a tin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. swing — in golf
  24. racket — a loud noise

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