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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. last — final
  3. can — a tin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — from crying
  7. last — to go on
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. last — finally
  14. degree — from a university
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fine — all right
  17. degree — temperature
  18. can — a tin
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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