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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 124 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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. toast — bread
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. degree — temperature
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — electric
  8. lie — to recline
  9. date — the fruit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tube — a container
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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