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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bore — to tire
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — temperature
  10. chest — a box
  11. mark — a grade
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. season — of the year
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bore — to drill

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