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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wake — a trail
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bass — low music

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