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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. shower — rain
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rock — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pit — a hole
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pit — in a race
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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