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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tear — to rip
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pass — a permit
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. swing — to play on
  8. deal — to handle
  9. kick — in football
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. swing — in golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. swing — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rash — a series
  22. field — for sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — farmland

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