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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — a position
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mate — a partner
  24. hide — to keep secret

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