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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fall — to drop
  6. degree — an amount
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — a tin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fall — the season
  24. dip — a sauce

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