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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. degree — from a university
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — for digging
  12. deal — to handle
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. press — to push
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. tear — to rip
  21. sharp — clever
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bat — for baseball

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