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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — to handle
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — to protest
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — an aim
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chip — to eat
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — for betting
  21. object — a thing
  22. degree — from a university
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — for tennis

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