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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — to keep track
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bear — the animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — a song
  14. wake — a trail
  15. staff — a stick
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. track — a path
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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