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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pound — a weight
  11. band — a music group
  12. lean — thin
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  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