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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. court — for sport
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mate — a friend
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of a king
  12. fine — high quality
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fine — all right
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rest — a break
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rush — a thrill

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