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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bore — to drill
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ground — a position
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. row — a line
  24. fan — to cool the air

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