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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — clothes
  3. tear — to rip
  4. suit — in cards
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. suit — to fit
  13. scale — in music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — a path
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. track — a song

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