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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mug — to rob
  5. track — a song
  6. foot — a measure
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. track — a path
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wake — a trail
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mug — a face
  17. track — to keep track
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fine — all right
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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