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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to tire
  10. club — a group
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cue — a hint
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. degree — temperature
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. club — for golf
  24. cue — a signal

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