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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — an amount
  4. track — a path
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. can — a tin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitch — completely
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. degree — from a university
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. tear — to rip

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