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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. degree — an amount
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. charge — a price
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — a face
  10. track — to keep track
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. charge — electricity
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. charge — in control
  19. mug — a cup
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mug — to rob

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