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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chest — a box
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. tear — to rip
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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