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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — a break
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mark — a grade
  8. degree — temperature
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. degree — from a university
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — a trail
  18. degree — an amount
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mark — to pay attention

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