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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pound — a weight
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pop — soda
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pop — music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pit — a hole

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