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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. roll — a list
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — the season
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — to pay attention

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