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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — final
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. present — there
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. present — the time now
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. drill — army training
  17. club — for golf
  18. mark — a trace
  19. last — finally
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. present — a gift
  23. drill — a practice
  24. club — a group

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