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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. last — to go on
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. branch — a division
  13. degree — an amount
  14. roll — a list
  15. last — finally
  16. degree — temperature
  17. staff — employees
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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