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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. last — final
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. last — to go on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — an amount
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rush — a thrill

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