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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — in music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ball — a great time
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. degree — an amount
  11. row — to paddle
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bound — certain
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bound — tied together
  20. degree — temperature
  21. row — a line
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tear — from crying

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