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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — an amount
  12. suit — to fit
  13. fine — high quality
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. tear — to rip
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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