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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — to go on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — music
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pop — soda
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — final
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. last — finally
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pop — to visit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. tear — from crying
  24. root — of a word

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