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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fall — the season
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fall — to drop
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — in sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitch — completely
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. can — to be able to
  20. degree — temperature
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mug — a cup
  23. season — of the year
  24. can — a tin

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