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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a path
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a friend
  8. track — a song
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mate — to breed
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fall — the season
  22. row — a line
  23. cell — a phone
  24. jam — in traffic

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