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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — a tin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. club — for golf
  8. can — a tin
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — from a university
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. dip — to sink
  15. row — to paddle
  16. degree — an amount
  17. can — to be able to
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. club — for dancing
  22. degree — temperature
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitcher — a jug

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