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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. degree — from a university
  7. club — for dancing
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bass — low music
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. club — for golf
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tube — a container
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — temperature
  22. club — a group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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