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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. game — a match
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. last — final
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. degree — from a university
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rock — music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. degree — temperature
  24. straw — a straw man

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