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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stand — to bear
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. capital — money
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. degree — from a university
  17. drill — army training
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lie — to recline
  24. drill — a practice

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