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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. spell — letters
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lean — thin
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mark — a trace
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. season — of the year
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spell — magic
  24. degree — from a university

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