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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a document
  12. suit — clothes
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. suit — to fit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a tool
  24. degree — from a university

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