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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — for catching
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. swing — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. swing — to play on
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — to crush
  24. can — to be able to

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