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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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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. tear — from crying
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bound — obliged
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pop — music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. tear — from crying
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pop — soda
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. degree — from a university

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