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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — electricity
  4. degree — temperature
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fall — the season
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a document
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spell — magic
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — in control
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. charge — a price
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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