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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the fish
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bass — low music
  8. fine — all right
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. row — a line
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fine — high quality

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