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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — high quality
  8. drill — army training
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fine — all right
  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