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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fall — the season
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pass — a permit
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. staff — a stick
  17. degree — an amount
  18. staff — employees
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — certain
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pass — to succeed

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