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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. current — of water
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lean — thin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — the season
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. current — electric
  18. degree — temperature
  19. current — happening now
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. content — happy
  24. fan — a supporter

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