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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 116 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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — to breed
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. key — in music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bass — low music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. capital — a city
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mate — a partner
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mate — a friend
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. snap — to click

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