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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tear — to rip
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. degree — temperature
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — to crush
  17. firm — decided
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pit — a hole
  22. degree — from a university
  23. firm — steady
  24. degree — an amount

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