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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 124 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. degree — an amount
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — finally
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — a permit
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — final
  24. fall — the season

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