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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rule — a law
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rash — hasty
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. rash — a series
  21. rule — government
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. swing — music

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