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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. track — a path
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. degree — an amount
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. degree — temperature
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — a partner
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. nail — for a hammer

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