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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pass — a permit
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — a video
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. drill — army training
  12. wound — an injury
  13. firm — a company
  14. drill — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. firm — steady
  18. drill — a practice
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. firm — decided

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