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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. current — of water
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. kick — in football
  24. lie — an untruth

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