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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — in football
  4. tear — to rip
  5. current — of water
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — hasty
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. current — happening now
  20. degree — from a university
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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