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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. current — of water
  4. last — finally
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. degree — from a university
  7. present — there
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lean — thin
  11. present — a gift
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. current — electric
  15. sharp — clever
  16. current — happening now
  17. last — final
  18. present — the time now
  19. tear — to rip
  20. last — to go on
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. lean — to bend

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