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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bark — to shout
  3. key — the most important part
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. capital — a city
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rest — a break
  18. capital — money
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. degree — from a university
  24. key — in music

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