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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. drill — a practice
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fall — the season
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. track — a path
  9. drill — army training
  10. degree — temperature
  11. season — of the year
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. track — a song
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chip — to eat
  22. track — to keep track
  23. club — for dancing
  24. fall — to drop

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