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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. degree — an amount
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. field — farmland
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. field — a subject
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — for sport
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chest — a box
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. suit — to fit
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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