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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bowl — a football final

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