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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fall — the season
  3. mug — a face
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lean — to bend
  11. track — a song
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cold — not warm
  16. track — a path
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lean — thin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mug — a cup
  24. lean — to rest against

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