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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fall — to drop
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — ground
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. land — to come down
  22. bear — the animal
  23. suit — in cards
  24. file — a document

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