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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mug — a face
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. season — of the year
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. season — in sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. fine — high quality
  13. file — a document
  14. mark — a trace
  15. file — a tool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fine — all right
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bound — obliged
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fine — a penalty

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