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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kick — in football
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. track — a path
  7. chest — a box
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — army training
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tear — from crying
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — to rip
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — a break
  19. degree — temperature
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chest — of your body
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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