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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: tear · degree · fork · rush · mate · jam · pit · firm

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mate — a friend
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mate — a partner
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tear — to rip
  11. degree — an amount
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pit — a hole
  23. firm — decided
  24. pit — in a race

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