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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fine — all right
  3. degree — an amount
  4. craft — boats
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. craft — a skill
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — temperature
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bass — low music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bass — the fish

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