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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. suit — in cards
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. drill — a practice
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. suit — to fit
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. suit — clothes
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. drill — army training

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