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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bound — certain
  3. lean — thin
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — obliged
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pass — a permit
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kick — in football
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. lean — to bend

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