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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. track — a path
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. last — final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. last — finally
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. last — to go on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wake — a trail

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