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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — all right
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — to drop
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pop — soda
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fine — high quality
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fall — the season
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rash — a series
  21. degree — from a university
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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