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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rash — a series
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. dip — to sink
  6. game — a match
  7. fall — the season
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fall — to drop
  16. suit — in cards
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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