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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fine — all right
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mark — a trace
  8. present — the time now
  9. fine — high quality
  10. present — there
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. present — a gift
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. degree — from a university

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