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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bass — the fish
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pop — to visit
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — to rip
  9. drill — army training
  10. pop — music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — from a university
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pop — soda
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cabinet — ministers

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