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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mark — a trace
  6. suit — to fit
  7. present — there
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mark — a grade
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cold — not warm
  19. present — a gift
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. suit — in cards
  22. present — the time now
  23. degree — from a university
  24. leaves — to go away

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