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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. object — to protest
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. degree — from a university
  5. object — a thing
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. degree — an amount
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. object — an aim
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to click
  21. shower — rain
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. shower — to wash

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