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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — a series
  6. tear — to rip
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. toast — bread
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. season — in sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. firm — a company
  21. rash — hasty
  22. row — a line
  23. firm — steady
  24. leaves — to go away

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