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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. 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. pit — in a race
  2. drill — army training
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — an amount
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. drill — the tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pit — a hole
  17. fall — to drop
  18. 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