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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · deal · foot · tear · swing · bowl · hand · staff

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hand — help
  13. swing — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. swing — to play on
  16. deal — to handle
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. tear — to rip
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — a measure
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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