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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 124 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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. tear — from crying
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rule — a law
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. capital — a city
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. degree — from a university
  24. capital — 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