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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kick — in football
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pop — music
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pop — soda
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lean — thin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rest — a break
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — temperature

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