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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — an amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pass — to succeed

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