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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. row — a line
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hand — in cards
  12. charge — a price
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. degree — temperature
  16. row — to paddle
  17. charge — in control
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bass — low music
  24. charge — electricity

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