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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fall — the season
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fine — all right
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mark — a trace
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — a grade
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. last — to go on
  24. bear — to put up with

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