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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. degree — temperature
  3. suit — clothes
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mark — a trace
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bass — low music
  12. pop — music
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. file — a tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pop — soda
  18. bass — the fish
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. suit — in cards
  22. file — a document
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spring — the season

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