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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. ball — a dance
  10. present — the time now
  11. ball — a great time
  12. present — a gift
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tear — to rip
  16. degree — from a university
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — an amount

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