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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 120 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fall — the season
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. drill — a practice
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fall — to drop

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