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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bulb — for light
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. degree — temperature

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