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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mark — a grade
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — final
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mark — a trace
  23. last — to go on
  24. band — a ring

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