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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — a break
  6. suit — in cards
  7. last — finally
  8. fall — the season
  9. suit — clothes
  10. season — in sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. last — final
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — to go on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — of the year
  23. net — for catching
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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