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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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468
Word bank
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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. object — to protest
  5. rash — a series
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tear — from crying
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stand — to bear
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. object — an aim
  13. degree — an amount
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — a thing
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ground — a position
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ground — the earth
  24. safe — a strongbox

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