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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tear — to rip
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fine — all right
  15. degree — from a university
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tear — from crying
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ground — a position
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ground — the earth
  23. face — to confront
  24. trunk — of a car

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