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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rule — a law
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — the arms race
  7. suit — to fit
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. degree — an amount
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rule — government
  15. fall — the season
  16. race — humankind
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. race — a contest
  23. suit — in cards
  24. sharp — clever

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