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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. degree — from a university
  5. craft — boats
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. board — to get on
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. craft — a skill
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pit — in a race
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. tear — to rip
  19. board — a committee
  20. stand — to bear
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — a hole

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