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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. can — to be able to
  3. ground — the earth
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hand — help
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — of water
  15. can — a tin
  16. ground — a position
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. degree — temperature
  20. current — happening now
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. current — electric
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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