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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. suit — in cards
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — an amount
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rock — a stone
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wind — moving air
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rock — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — to move gently

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