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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. deal — to handle
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rash — a series
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mark — to pay attention

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