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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. roll — a list
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. roll — a cake
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pit — in a race
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. degree — temperature
  21. firm — a company
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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