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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rest — what's left
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. key — in music
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spell — letters
  19. key — the most important part
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. key — for a lock
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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