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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pop — to visit
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — in music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — to rip
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. key — for a lock
  12. net — in sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pop — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — in control
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. charge — a price
  24. pop — soda

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