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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — rain
  3. present — there
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tear — from crying
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. tear — to rip
  12. face — to confront
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pit — a hole
  20. degree — an amount
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — to wash
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — in a race

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