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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. root — of a word
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lie — to recline
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. can — a tin

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