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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. degree — from a university
  10. roll — a cake
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. degree — an amount
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — to handle
  19. craft — a skill
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. roll — a list
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. roll — on a roll

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