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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fall — the season
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. degree — temperature
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — a path
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. track — a song

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