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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. shower — to wash
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. shower — rain
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rest — a break
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. fork — to eat with

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