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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — an amount
  7. swing — to play on
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mug — a cup
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lean — thin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. swing — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lean — to bend
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. club — for golf
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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