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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ground — a position
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fall — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. row — a line
  19. fall — to drop
  20. last — to go on
  21. degree — temperature
  22. last — finally
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. hide — to keep secret

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