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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — for light
  4. firm — a company
  5. press — to push
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bulb — for light
  14. firm — steady
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. degree — an amount
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tear — to rip
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. firm — decided
  24. press — newspapers

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