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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — temperature
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rock — music

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