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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pit — a hole
  5. tear — from crying
  6. deal — to handle
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pit — in a race
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. degree — temperature
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. swing — music
  18. shower — rain
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — from a university
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. degree — an amount
  24. swing — in golf

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