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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. firm — decided
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. band — a ring
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. saw — the tool
  17. firm — a company
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. firm — steady
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rash — hasty

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