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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fall — the season
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. degree — an amount
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — after costs
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. net — for catching
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. net — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — from a university
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — to rip
  21. saw — the tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. racket — a loud noise

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