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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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — letters
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. degree — an amount
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. tear — to rip
  19. row — a line
  20. wake — a trail
  21. degree — from a university
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. march — the month

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