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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. degree — an amount
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mark — a trace
  7. staff — employees
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. degree — temperature
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. staff — employees
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fall — the season
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tear — from crying

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