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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. track — a path
  3. degree — temperature
  4. last — finally
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. swing — music
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — an amount
  15. last — final
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — a container
  18. swing — in golf
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. last — to go on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. track — to keep track
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wake — a trail

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