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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. key — in music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — of the year
  11. degree — temperature
  12. key — the most important part
  13. dip — to sink
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fall — the season
  20. snap — to click
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stand — to bear
  23. degree — an amount
  24. season — in sport

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