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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — from a university
  5. court — for sport
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. firm — decided
  9. court — of law
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rest — a break
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — to sink
  22. firm — a company
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — steady

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