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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — the month
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. degree — from a university

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