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

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — from a university
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — to bend
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — ground
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. land — a country
  20. fine — all right
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cold — not warm
  24. racket — for tennis

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