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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fall — to drop
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — the season
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. staff — a stick
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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