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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. present — there
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fine — high quality
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. present — the time now
  10. degree — temperature
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fine — all right
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. clip — a video
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. clip — for paper
  21. present — a gift
  22. tear — from crying
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. degree — an amount

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