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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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 — from crying
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bound — certain
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mark — a grade
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chip — to eat
  23. season — in sport
  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