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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. row — to paddle
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bound — tied together
  8. row — a line
  9. track — a song
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. degree — an amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. track — a path
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — a permit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bound — certain

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