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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fine — high quality
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — temperature
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — a stone
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. track — a path
  20. fall — to drop
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — music
  24. cell — in biology

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