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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. degree — an amount
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. craft — boats
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. hide — to keep secret

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