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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — to keep track
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. snap — to click
  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