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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mug — a cup
  10. scale — size or range
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. scale — in music
  13. lean — thin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. charge — a price
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. charge — in control
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — a face
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mug — to rob
  24. scale — for weighing

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