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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. degree — an amount
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cap — a hat
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. face — to confront
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chair — a leader

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