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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. press — newspapers
  3. race — a contest
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. clip — for paper
  8. race — humankind
  9. press — to push
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. clip — a video
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. race — the arms race
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — a match
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. tear — to rip

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