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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. roll — a list
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. net — after costs
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. degree — from a university
  12. net — in sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. wake — a trail
  19. roll — a cake
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — thin
  23. net — for catching
  24. degree — temperature

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