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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. present — a gift
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. suit — to fit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. present — there
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bat — the animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. degree — temperature
  20. row — a line
  21. suit — in cards
  22. present — the time now
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bat — for baseball

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