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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — letters
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitch — completely
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spell — magic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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