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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. face — to point toward
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tear — from crying
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — to crush
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bear — the animal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. degree — an amount
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bound — certain
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — tied together
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — the sport

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