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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — for golf
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — a stick
  10. degree — temperature
  11. club — a group
  12. degree — from a university
  13. face — to confront
  14. tear — to rip
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. content — the amount
  21. staff — employees
  22. content — happy
  23. face — part of the head
  24. club — for dancing

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