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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — the season
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. degree — temperature
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. prune — to trim
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. degree — an amount
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. race — humankind
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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