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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. court — of a king
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bore — to tire
  9. plane — a tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — from crying
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. court — of law
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bore — to drill
  22. court — for sport
  23. spell — magic
  24. degree — from a university

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