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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — all right
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — a practice
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. drill — army training
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bore — to drill
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — temperature

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