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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fall — the season
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rash — a series
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pitch — completely
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — from a university
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bank — of a river
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bank — for money

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