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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pop — soda
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mark — a grade
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fine — all right
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fall — the season
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pop — music

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