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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. march — the month
  5. last — finally
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. degree — an amount
  8. march — music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. degree — from a university
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pound — a weight
  20. last — final
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. march — the month
  24. last — to go on

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