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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — all right
  5. race — the arms race
  6. tear — to rip
  7. degree — temperature
  8. race — a contest
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rule — government
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mug — a cup
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rule — a law
  21. degree — an amount
  22. race — humankind
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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