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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. land — a country
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stand — to bear
  6. suit — to fit
  7. file — a line of people
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. land — to come down
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — an amount
  14. file — a document
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — a break
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — of water
  19. suit — clothes
  20. spring — the season
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. suit — in cards

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