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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. lean — thin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. degree — an amount
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wake — a trail
  12. degree — temperature
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. snap — to click
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mark — a trace
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. degree — from a university

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