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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hand — help
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. season — of the year
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. staff — a stick
  9. degree — temperature
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — in cards
  12. staff — employees
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bat — the animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. staff — employees

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