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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. scale — in music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — ground
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bound — certain
  16. scale — size or range
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — to come down
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. degree — from a university
  24. leaves — of a tree

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