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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — a path
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. degree — temperature
  9. last — final
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. last — finally
  13. degree — an amount
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. degree — from a university
  16. shower — rain
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. shower — to wash

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