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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cold — an illness
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — child
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. degree — from a university
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cold — not warm

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