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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. degree — temperature
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. toast — bread
  17. pound — a weight
  18. degree — from a university
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wake — a trail
  24. degree — an amount

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