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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. object — a thing
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chest — a box
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bear — the animal
  20. object — an aim
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — to protest
  24. rash — hasty

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