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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rest — what's left
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — to drop
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — a break
  21. degree — an amount
  22. board — to get on
  23. track — a path
  24. board — a committee

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