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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · degree · club · suit · lie · bore · cap · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cell — in biology
  7. tear — to rip
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. club — a group
  12. bore — to drill
  13. suit — clothes
  14. lie — to recline
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cap — a hat
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — temperature
  22. club — for golf
  23. cap — a lid
  24. club — for dancing

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