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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. degree — an amount
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mark — a trace
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pit — in a race
  18. degree — from a university
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lean — thin

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