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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. row — a line
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. firm — a company
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitch — completely
  9. firm — steady
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — to wash
  12. firm — decided
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. degree — temperature
  15. row — to paddle
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — to trim
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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