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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. game — a match
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. game — wild animals
  10. can — to be able to
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pop — to visit
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. can — a tin
  23. toast — bread
  24. pass — a permit

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