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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. last — final
  3. bank — of a river
  4. fall — the season
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. charge — a price
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. club — for golf
  12. degree — an amount
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bank — for money
  17. club — a group
  18. last — to go on
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. charge — in control
  23. degree — temperature
  24. last — finally

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