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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — of your body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. degree — temperature
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chest — a box
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pass — a permit

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