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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — in control
  6. degree — temperature
  7. season — of the year
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fall — the season
  10. season — in sport
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fall — to drop
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bound — certain
  18. mark — a grade
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. charge — a price
  23. clip — a video
  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