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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — electric
  5. tear — to rip
  6. root — of a plant
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mug — to rob
  10. content — the amount
  11. current — of water
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. degree — an amount
  15. root — of a word
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — a cup
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. cue — a signal
  22. root — the cause
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — happy

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