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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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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wake — a trail
  8. scale — in music
  9. fine — high quality
  10. dip — to sink
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. can — a tin
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. can — to be able to
  17. roll — a list
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — completely
  24. roll — on a roll

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