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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — finally
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tear — to rip
  8. last — final
  9. season — of the year
  10. swing — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — to crush
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — to go on
  23. degree — from a university
  24. dip — a sauce

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