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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. degree — an amount
  11. row — a line
  12. kick — in football
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. press — to push
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. press — a publisher
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wake — a trail
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. press — newspapers

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