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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. degree — from a university
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bass — the fish
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — low music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. current — of water
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — happening now
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tear — from crying
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. safe — out of danger

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