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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. degree — an amount
  7. object — to protest
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — final
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — from a university
  15. object — a thing
  16. spring — the season
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mark — a trace
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mark — a grade

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