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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. kid — child
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. capital — money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tear — from crying

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