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

Word bank: bat · leaves · rock · kid · safe · degree · stick · tear

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. degree — from a university
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rock — music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  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