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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: lean · sharp · deal · tear · track · bowl · kid · swing

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. track — to keep track
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lean — thin
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — to tease
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. swing — to play on
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. track — a path
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. swing — music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. track — a song
  24. lean — to bend

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