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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a music group
  17. ball — a dance
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rash — a series
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ball — a great time
  24. degree — an amount

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