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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to confront
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — from a university
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — part of the head
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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