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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — all right
  3. ground — crushed
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ground — the earth
  6. file — a document
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wake — a trail
  9. suit — in cards
  10. lie — to recline
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — finally
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. file — a tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — a position
  21. fine — high quality
  22. suit — to fit
  23. degree — an amount
  24. suit — clothes

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