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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pit — a hole
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. track — a path
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pit — in a race
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. track — a song
  21. cell — in biology
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bear — the animal

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