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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — after costs
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. net — for catching
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. court — of a king
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pit — in a race
  18. court — for sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — temperature
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — of law
  24. cabinet — ministers

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