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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. swing — in golf
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — from a university
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rest — what's left
  14. swing — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — temperature
  19. tear — to rip
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hide — to keep secret

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